Blacklight: It Begins (Redux)
by Gravemind94
Summary: My name is Brandon Shepard, and I've been stuck in Manhattan for almost a month following the Blacklight outbreak. Blackwatch has the city under complete lockdown, and I can't get out. So after getting infected with this disease from Mercer, he needs my help. Why? And what do I do when this is over? And who's this woman I keep dreaming about?
1. Chapter 1: Is someone following me?

**New York City, United States, Earth**

 **September 20, 2016 (Ten days after the events of Prototype 1)**

I woke up today like it was any other day, grateful I was still alive and that my apartment was intact. I checked the barricade on my door and saw that it was undamaged, even though I was well far away from an infected area in Manhattan, you could never be too careful. And even then, there was Blackwatch I had to worry about.

I grabbed my phone and saw I had a slew of text messages and missed calls from John Mason, my best friend of almost twelve years, odds are he was probably wondering if I was still alive and kicking, although he's never sent this many messages before. Maybe he was concerned about the rumors of Blackwatch trying to nuke New York City, but I gave him a call, it rang twice before he picked up.

"Oh my god! You finally get back to me! I was so fucking worried dude! Blackwatch tried to nuke the city to contain the outbreak and I thought you were vaporized in that explosion!" John said, making no effort to calm himself down or lower his voice.

I straightened out my hair to make it look less like I had a case of bed head, "Well I'm still kicking, John. And I think that Mercer guy stopped the nuke, so I oughta thank my lucky stars for that. Anyways, sorry to keep you waiting, you know I keep my phone on vibrate in case someone's listening." I responded.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Brandon. But look, I'm glad you called, I got something important to tell you! There's a new aircraft carrier stationed outside Manhattan, and one of my friends did some digging and discovered that this carrier is loaded with enough thermobaric missi-"

Our phone call was cut off, and an unknown voice came on and coldly responded with, "This phone call has been interrupted under the Emergency Powers Act." After that, the call was disconnected.

I slammed my fist on my bed, "Fuck! Stupid Blackwatch bastards jamming phone calls!" I said to myself, I'd have to wait for a window to get a text out to Samantha, my girlfriend of four years, she was doing well for herself, having just recently got promoted to First Lieutenant in the Marines. But I had to let her know I was still breathing at some point. But I shoved it aside, got up, did my usual morning routine, and watched the news while I made myself breakfast.

* * *

 **Wyrmrest Temple, Dragonblight, Azeroth**

Four hooded figures met atop Wyrmrest Temple, there was a woman in a red robe, a woman in a green robe, a man in a bronze robe, and a man in a blue robe. Each of them arrived in order to discuss one topic: the future of their world.

"There is no way our world is strong enough to hold back another Legion invasion, the Orcs were bad enough, I fear their next attempt could be the death of us all." The red robed woman said as she removed her hood to reveal Alexstrasza the Life-Binder. Her presence radiating with the essence of life itself, as that was her duty as Life-Binder.

The green robed woman removed her hood to show Ysera the Ethereal, her charge from the Titans was to keep watch over the Emerald Dream. "You are right, sister. But the Timeless One has brought us here because he believes he can help solve this crisis." Ysera replied, her voice cool and collect.

The bronze robed man removed his robe entirely, "Correct, I have summoned us here for that specific purpose. Our world is due to align with the others in our solar system in sixty years, and when that occurs, we can combine our powers and reach through the Great Dark Beyond for the reinforcements we need to defend our world from the Dark Titan, Sargeras." Nozdormu boomed, clearly set in this course of action. But Kalecgos, the man in the blue robe, had his own problem with that plan.

"Wait Timeless One, sixty years? That is too long! We need a solution now! We cannot just sit idly by while the Legion grows ever stronger!" Kalecgos protested.

Alexstrasza nodded, "I am sorry, Nozdormu, but I do agree with Kalecgos. Is there no immediate solution? What if the Burning Legion invades before that time even passes? Must we really wait that long, and pray to Aggramar that Sargeras does not return his focus to our world?"

Nozdormu shook his head, "I am sorry, Dragon Queen, but if we try sooner, the very magic we use could disrupt the very ebb and flow of time itself. I cannot offer an immediate answer to this crisis because there is none."

Alexstrasza let her head fall, she couldn't help her fear for the denizens of Azeroth, despite everything they do; she still loves them all. But she had a plan, all she had to do was meet with Ysera in secret. "This meeting is adjourned, I have much to ponder." She ordered, and one by one the other Aspects transformed into their dragon forms and flew away.

* * *

 **New York City, Earth**

 **September 20, 2016**

I shot a text to Samantha, letting her know I was still kicking, and made my way to the Target that was down the street from my apartment. Being cooped up in your apartment for over a month tends to make you go through food quickly, as well as taking a toll on your mental sanity. I was able to empty my bank account before Martial Law was declared, so I had plenty of cash. I had to be quick, I knew Blackwatch liked to rob civilians of food. Why they did, nobody was really sure, some people speculated it was because they can. I walked into the store, which was still largely empty, suggesting that a lot of people didn't survive the outbreak. But I couldn't stop to worry about them, I went straight for the dried food aisle and stocked up on MRE's. I went to the register, paid for the food and left the store, pausing only to see a man in a black jacket on the roof staring at me. He looked familiar, but I ignored it and walked back to my apartment…

(I know this is a redux, but I had some shit happen and I deleted all my stories for some stupid reason, plus my first story was crap. I openly admit that. So here's my redux, I also plan on doing things in Part 2 that I avoided. So stay tuned! Kinda glad to be back, I also posted this to Wattpad to try to expand.)


	2. Chapter 2: Mercer!

**New York City, United States, Earth**

 **September 20, 2016**

I took a back alley way in order to avoid running into any Blackwatch soldiers, I didn't want them mugging all my food and possibly shooting me as well. I opened my phone as I heard it go off, I received a text message from Samantha:

 _Hey, I'm glad you're okay. I never thought I'd be thanking ZEUS for anything, but looks like I owe him for saving you. I'm gonna talk to my CO today to try to get you out of there, the Obama can always use more nurses. Love you!_

I smiled and locked my phone, "She knows I'm just a Med-tech right?" I asked myself, granted I had basic and advanced medical training, but I'm not trained to be a nurse. I was planning on shooting a text in response, but I decided against it.

I heard a loud thud on the roof of the building above me, I looked up to see that same man from the roof of the Target earlier, but I froze in fear. It was Alex Mercer! I dropped my bags on the concrete and my legs wouldn't respond. "M-Mercer?! What are you doing here?!" I asked.

Alex leapt off the building and hit the ground, "I've been following you for a long time, trying to get you isolated. Don't worry, if I wanted to kill you, we wouldn't even be having this discussion." He responded as he slowly and casually walked towards me.

"Then why are we talking? And how is that supposed to help me feel better?"

Mercer stopped and pondered for a minute, "Well, I never thought I'd be saying this, but I need your help. And you have just what I need to do that."

I didn't respond, partly out of fear, but a lot of it was about what could he possibly need my help with? He's the Monster of Manhattan and he needs MY help? It didn't make any sense!

Mercer looked back at me, "At least you're still listening, look I'll cut to the chase. Want to help me save the city a second time?"

I still stood there frozen out of paranoia, "Okay, just how am I supposed to save the city?" I asked.

"Simple, I'll help you out with the process."

I started to back up slowly, "Wait what process?"

Mercer grabbed my shoulder, "I apologize if this hurts like hell, but you won't be much help the way you are right now." He then transformed his arm into what looked like a mutated viral claw and impaled me through the chest with it.

I felt the virus surge through my chest and the pain was too much, I fell to the ground and blacked out.

* * *

 **Darnassus, Azeroth**

It was a cool day in Darnassus, and Ravana Moonfang walked out of the Temple of the Moon, eager to get started on her druidic ritual, she wasn't sure what she would see, but this is something all druids have to do in order to be inducted into the Cenarion Circle. Her long blue hair flowing in the wind, she headed to the lake that ran through the city, as it was her favorite spot. Along the way she ran into her older sister, Arellah. She was always creeping up on her, as it was her favorite thing to do. "Oh, hello Arellah, what brings you to me? I am busy so make it quick." Ravana responded.

"Nothing much, I just want to see what you are up to. And why are you being so quick to dismiss me? You doing more of your druidic stuff?" Arellah said, obviously trying to annoy her little sister.

"It is not nonsense, now do you not have to meet with your trainer today? That way you can learn how to rob everyone? That is what you want to do right?" Ravana meant it as a joke, her older sister was always known to be somewhat rebellious especially ever since she decided to take it upon herself to become a rogue.

"No, I do not. But I see you need some time alone for your weird druid magic stuff, so I will leave you alone." Arellah replied as she walked away, "I am going to steal me something to drink." She continued.

"Just do not get caught! Father already said he will not bail you out!" Ravana shouted, but her sister was already gone. "Okay, I have all I need for this, now to just hope that this does not go wrong." Ravana said to herself as she began silently saying the incantation to herself.

* * *

 **My apartment, New York City, Earth**

 **September 21, 2016**

I woke up to my chest hurting like hell, and my vision was blurry. I felt like I nearly died, but also like I was ready to run a marathon. I instantly remembered that Mercer impaled me, so I took off my shirt to see the shocking truth: I was in peak physical condition and the wound on my chest was completely gone! I looked like one of those guys that practically lives at the gym.

"You're up, and you look a lot different. But the virus affects everyone differently, how are you feeling?" someone asked. I darted around to see Mercer in front of me, sitting on my couch. He was busy reading the newspaper, almost as if he was just biding his time till I regained consciousness.

"W-what? What are you saying? What the fuck did you do to me!?" I demanded, Mercer did something and I needed to know what.

"I gave you the Mercer virus, that's what they call it now right? Figures, they're just demonizing me for this whole thing. Anyways, I need your help and I was afraid you wouldn't willingly allow yourself to be infected."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, he infected me. He literally infected me with this fucking virus. I snapped, "You're goddamn right I wasn't wanting this! Why the fuck would you give me this?! You actually infected me with this fucking thing! What the fuck for?!"

Mercer punched me in the face, not trying to kill me, but to get me to snap out of my rant. I got back up and stood there, "I get you're angry, I really do. But you need to listen to me, you need to help me stop Blackwatch! I can't be everywhere so that's where you come in! And if you refuse, then you, me, and everyone in Manhattan will die! Do I have your attention now?!" Mercer yelled. I froze, I knew he was right. Blackwatch clearly had no problem nuking the city, and they were probably going to do it again. I knew they had to be stopped.

"Alright, I'll help, what do you need from me?" I grudgingly asked.

"Simple, you need to first head down south, there's several infected you need to kill. You'll need their DNA."

I was confused, "Wait, I thought we needed to stop Blackwatch? Why am I on cleanup duty?"

Mercer walked out and didn't even turn around, "Well, right now you need to make yourself stronger, you want to be able to do this?" he asked as he turned his hands into claws. "You need infected DNA to be able to do this, once we get you up to speed with me, we can turn our attention to Blackwatch. Now, assuming you don't have any more questions, follow me. I'll help you with them if you need it, but you need to kill and consume them."


	3. Chapter 3: Great, I'm infected

**New York City, United States, Earth**

 **September 21, 2016**

I was confused, I had to know why Mercer chose me of all people to help him. Not to mention, why Blackwatch had to be stopped again. "Mercer, wait a sec." I said. Mercer stopped in his tracks.

"You have questions? I'm surprised you waited till now to ask them, so what are they?" he asked.

I caught up to him, "Why exactly do you need me to help you? Like, out of all the people in Manhattan, why me?"

Mercer turned around, and put his hand on my shoulder, "Well, you're the only person I've found that has the right DNA for the virus. That's why out of all the people in this city, or at least the ones that are left, I chose you. Anything else?"

"What else does this virus do for me?"

Mercer let out a sadistic grin, "Aside from being able to form weapons with your body, you're looking at immortality, complete immunity from any and all diseases and illnesses, enhanced reflexes, super-human strength and speed, reinforced bones, enhanced senses, and the ability to disguise yourself. Although there are some side effects, you need to suppress your urge to unleash the virus, because even though you have your free will; you're still infected. Oh, do you have any kids?"

I was a little puzzled as to why he asked me that, but I shook my head, "No, never really planned on having any either."

"Well I hope that mindset wasn't going to change anytime soon, because you're sterile now." Mercer responded with that same grin.

I was taken aback, as well as hit with the realization that even if I one day changed my mind, I can't now. But how did he know I was sterilized now? "Wait, how do you know?" I asked.

Mercer took his hand off my shoulder and shrugged, "Well, there was this doctor guy I was trying to kill and consume, his name was Raymond McMullen, and I was 'captured' and taken to him, even though it was just a ploy for me to get close. Anyways, I didn't get the information from him directly, but I hacked his computer and saw he had a shitload of information on my new biology. That's how I found out, and since you have the same strain as I do, you are too. Anything else you need to know? We're kind of on a time limit."

I snapped out of my stupor, "Where are we going right now?"

Mercer ran off again, and I darted to follow him, "Keep up! We're heading to the Red Zone!" he shouted as we ran down the street, jumping over cars and leaping on top of buildings to get there faster. I was amazed that I was able to keep up, not to mention the sheer fact that I jumped off a ten story building and hit the ground running. As I felt the wind fly around me as I kept sprinting, I felt euphoric, and before I knew it I was running through Chinatown. Mercer stopped on the top of a building, "First test, run up this building!" he shouted.

I was perplexed, but I gave it a shot anyways, I jumped and put my foot on the side of the building, surprisingly enough I had a foothold and I kept running. Soon I was running up the building like gravity was my bitch, I eventually made it to the top. "Whoa! That's pretty awesome!" I said. I was ecstatic, I felt limitless in power now.

Mercer nodded, "Nice work! Mobility is the key to survival, if you find yourself outgunned, just book it. Anyways, you'll have plenty of time to test out your speed, the other trick is to push yourself beyond your limit. But, enough of that, we're here to get you some infected DNA, now here's the thing: these infected we're about to kill have the good DNA that you need. Let me weaken them, but you have to kill and consume them. Got it?"

I nodded, "Yeah, where are they?"

* * *

 **Darnassus, Azeroth**

Ravana closed her eyes, and let herself drift to sleep. Soon enough, she saw herself on a distant world. It was a different world, much different than Azeroth. The people that inhabited this planet were nothing like the Kaldorei, they weren't even Kaldorei. She saw giant metal skyscrapers, and then a large explosion. She then saw herself in the middle of a destroyed city, and two men fighting. The man on the left had a brown uniform and she noticed that this man had a patch on his right arm. The patch depicted a rectangle with a large chunk of blue in the top left corner, with stripes of red and white. The man on the right wore a green uniform and the patch on his arm had a white stripe, a blue stripe, and a red stripe, horizontally and in that order.

The man in the green pinned down the other, and brought a small dagger out. But all of a sudden, the brown uniformed man lifted the other up by his neck. She watched in shock as the brown uniformed man's hand transformed into a giant black claw. The claw plunged through the man in the green's chest and he disappeared. No, was absorbed by the man in the brown. The man in the brown then changed form, into a different looking man. Ravana looked at him, he wore a green jacket, blue pants, black shoes, and he had brown hair and green eyes. As she looked at him, she noticed that although he was young, he had seen more than enough warfare than anyone his age should have to see.

The world disappeared, and she found herself at the base of a giant tree. Ravana looked around, she was in Mount Hyjal, at the base of Nordrassil. She turned to face in front of her, and saw the Burning Legion fast approaching. She readied her magic, blasting bolts of moonlight at the demons. But every time she killed one, ten took its place. Other Kaldorei began to fall around her, soon she found herself outnumbered. A Felguard approached her, she raised her hand to blast it, but it back handed her. She fell to the ground, the demon raised its axe in the air.

Ravana closed her eyes and waited for death.

A loud slash was heard and the sound of flesh being rended, she opened her eyes and saw that she was still alive. The demon fell in half, and she saw that same man as before, except his whole right arm was a giant blade. He shifted his blade arm back to a normal hand and extended it out to her.

Ravana then woke up, sweating profusely and with more questions than answers.

* * *

 **New York City, United States, Earth**

 **September 21, 2016**

I leapt from the building and hit the ground, taking a few seconds to observe the infected as they turned towards me and hobbled over. One of them raised their arm into the air and tried to strike me, I kicked the infected in the chest, causing their ribcage to cave in. My body suddenly acted on its own, my arms turned into these weird claw-like appendages and I absorbed the infected person. I felt a small surge of power after I finished, so I turned around and smashed the skull of another infected. All of a sudden a big creature clawed through the rest and roared at me, baring its sharp teeth and giant claws. It swung at me and I jumped in the air to dodge its attack, Mercer landed in front of me and cut its arm off with his blade. "Consume it now! Before it recovers!" he ordered. I grabbed the back of the creature's neck and wrestled it to the ground, hearing a loud snap. The monster went limp and two tendrils erupted from my back and dug themselves into the monster, as if they were eating it. No, more like drinking it dry. Biomass surged through my arms and they erupted into giant black claws.

"H-holy shit, this is awesome!" I shouted, the ugly son of a bitch was dead and I had my first power. "So, Mercer, do I just keep killing these things and I get more abilities?" I continued.

Mercer approached me, "Well yes and no. Yes because these infected have DNA that you need, and no because you need to consume more than just these Hunters. We need to find a Hydra, and maybe a couple Supreme Hunters. Then, you'll be good to go. You just need to build up your biomass right now, so kill some normal infected. I'll go track down the ones you really need, when I'm ready, I'll let you know." He responded and darted off. Leaving me to wonder exactly what else this virus can do. I decided to head home and sleep on it.


	4. Chapter 4: A Dream? Or A Warning?

**My apartment, New York City, United States, Earth**

 **September 22, 2016**

I was somewhere. I couldn't tell exactly where, but I knew I wasn't on Earth anymore. This had to be a dream. I sat up, it was a bright day, I decided to look around, and this planet was completely different than Earth. I was approached by two women, one of them was shrouded in darkness, so I couldn't tell what she looked like, and the other stood out clearly. She had long blonde hair, and blue eyes, was it Samantha? No, she looked different. The blonde helped me up and I stared at her, I heard a gunshot behind us. I turned around and saw a squad of troops in a blue uniform, and the insignia on their arm was of a star with wings. These were Blackwatch soldiers, they raised their guns at us. All of a sudden the world around me went dark, and I found myself in space.

I landed on a different planet, still completely unsure where I was. It was a destroyed planet, somewhere in our galaxy, or somewhere in space in general. I was looking over a large valley, and the ground started to shake. These monsters, or demons, whatever they were, they were nothing like I've ever seen, but they began to stampede towards my location, and I see a giant that was made of metal, this thing was literally on fire and it wielded a horribly broken sword. I look to my right and see a woman I've never seen before, I don't get a good view of her but I know she isn't human, I know she isn't because the only thing that stands out on her are her long, pointy ears. A loud noise is heard from behind me, I turn around and see a large fleet of space ships and an endless army of people charge past me. Jets fly overhead and tanks stampede past me, all of them engaging the monsters in the valley in front of me.

I woke up drenched in sweat, that dream was extremely vivid. Why was Blackwatch in it? Where was I in those two locations? Who were those two women? And the alien woman? Who were those monsters? "Fuckin' trippy." I said to myself.

I grabbed my phone and saw a missed call from Samantha, I first sent my daily text to John letting him know I was still kicking and then called her. It rang twice before she answered, "You got some explaining to do!" she shouted.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What's the problem, Samantha?" I asked, obviously she was angry about something.

"Brandon, tell me the truth… are you infected?"

I froze, how did she find out? Was I under surveillance? I couldn't respond, I was too busy thinking that I was being watched, even before I was infected. How the hell did she already find out?

"I'll take your silence as a yes, why didn't you tell me?" she asked. I had to tread carefully, one wrong sentence and she was probably going to leave me.

"I didn't have time to, Mercer said he-" I tried to say.

"You mean ZEUS?! He infected you?! What did he tell you?!"

I buried my face in my hand, "Wait a minute. How the hell did you find out?" I had to know.

"Answer the question first! And that's an order!" Samantha barked, despite me not being a soldier, she liked to sometimes treat me like I was one.

"Alright! Alright! He said that Blackwatch was gonna try to destroy New York City again! And that he needed my help to stop them because he can't be everywhere! Now how did you find out?"

Samantha sighed, "You and ZEUS think you're subtle when you dart across buildings like that, but you aren't. By the way, because I don't like Blackwatch that much, they've already given you the code name of THOR. Apparently they're going with a thunder god theme for you two. Look, now I can't get you out of the city. My CO won't let you on if you're infected, so you're SOL now. I just hope you don't lose sight of who you really are, can you promise me that?"

I sighed, Samantha was deeply concerned about my new condition, and she was justifiably worried. But she needed an answer, "I won't, I promise." I calmly replied. "I know I haven't seen you in a long time, but maybe when you get shore leave, we can get together again. Maybe then you can see that I'm still human." I continued.

"I know you are, I just want to make sure you don't lose it. I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, it's just when you see footage of the guy you love running around like a lunatic on speed, with ZEUS next to him, you kinda lose it. Anyways, I gotta go, I love you still."

I smiled, "I love you too, Samantha." She hung up, leaving me to wonder what to do now. I got out of bed, doing my best to bury that dream I had in the back of my head. "It's just my brain playing tricks on me, nothing more." I said to myself. With that out of the way, I figured I should get started with my morning routine.

* * *

 **Darnassus, Azeroth**

"Ravana! Sister, are you all right? You went pale and fell over!" Arellah cried, shaking her younger sister urgently. Ravana shot up, gasping for air.

"Wha- where am I?" she asked.

Arellah hugged her, "You are here in Darnassus, remember? You did your weird Druid magic and I found you passed out! What happened?"

Ravana stopped to catch her breath, "I do not know, one minute I was doing this, and the next I was on a bizarre world. I did not understand any of it."

Arellah was shocked, but she wanted, no needed answers, "What exactly did you see, sister? I am so terribly curious to know."

"I do not think I should share it with someone, Arellah. I must see Master Stormrage, he will have answers."

Arellah was annoyed, but there was nothing more she could do, "Okay, I will head home and let Mother know you will be late. You know how she worries."

Ravana said nothing, and made her way to the Temple of the Moon, determined to get answers from the most powerful Druid on Azeroth: Malfurion Stormrage.

* * *

 **My Apartment, New York City, United States, Earth**

 **September 22, 2016**

I walked out of my bedroom and grabbed my cell phone, apparently missing a call from John, I turned on the news as I called him back. The news stories were normal crap about stuff going on in the world. "Hey, John! Sorry I missed your call, I was in the shower." I said.

John completely ignored me, "Dude, turn on the news right now. You're in it."

My gut sank, I turned towards the TV. It was almost perfect timing, as soon as I turned towards it, the story immediately turned to the outbreak in New York.

"Our top story today, a new development in the war against Alex Mercer, the man responsible for unleashing the Blacklight Virus in Penn Station a little over a month ago. It appears that the military forces stationed in Manhattan have a new problem on their hands, despite the infection being slowly burned out, authorities have had next to no luck apprehending Alex Mercer. It would appear Mercer has some extra help, here is some footage of Mercer and his accomplice running across the rooftops of Manhattan." The news lady said, they immediately cut to footage of Mercer and me running across the buildings. It obviously showed that I was infected like he was.

"Authorities have learned the identity of Mercer's accomplice, a man named Brandon Shepard. He is a twenty-three year old NYU student that was trapped during the outbreak. Why he decided to join Mercer is really anyone's guess. Blackwatch officers have said that Shepard is armed, and extremely dangerous, and that if you see him, report it to any Blackwatch soldier." She continued.

I buried my face in my hands, "Well, nice to see they're already making me out to be the bad guy. You don't believe them for a second, right?" I asked.

"Only a fool ever believes the truth that's fed to them, I know Blackwatch has their own agendas, but so does Mercer. Don't let him sway you, man. You've gotta retain your humanity, know what I mean?" John replied.

I nodded, "Yeah, we just gotta stop Blackwatch from destroying the city. Maybe I can swing by after this whole thing blows over."

"I wouldn't be so sure, your face was just shown on National television, and I doubt you're gonna get off with just a slap on the wrist. Look, I got class in twenty minutes, you need anything from me, let me know."

I breathed a sigh of relief, "Right, talk to ya later." I said as I hung up. I tossed my phone on my couch, pondering what the blue hell I was supposed to do now. I had to formulate an escape plan, once I stopped Blackwatch, I was going to get the hell out of the States. Only question is where to go…

My train of thought was interrupted by my phone going off again, this time it was Mercer calling me. I answered the call, "Hey, Mercer. I was just about to call you." I said.

"Right, meet me at Central Park, I found more infected. Get there ASAP!" Mercer responded, hanging up as soon as he was done.

I shrugged, I guess Mercer isn't one for lengthy conversation. I put my jacket on and left my apartment, feeling somewhat eager to fight more infected.

(Sorry for the late update, I was going to update this yesterday as kind of a birthday gift. It was my 22nd birthday yesterday. When I got back from my party, I was 110% hammered. So I just collapsed on my bed and fell asleep, I will try to update this once a week. But since I start working on Monday, that might be a little sketchy. But I will make time to set aside to work on this. So stay tuned!)


	5. Chapter 5: Hydras, and D-Codes? Shit

**Central Park, New York, United States, Earth**

 **September 22, 2016**

I arrived in Central Park mere minutes after I left my apartment, this virus was amazing. It boosted my speed at least fifty times that of an average person. I saw Mercer on the top of a building, and I ran up the side. "Okay, sorry I'm late. I was just trying to get in contact with a friend of mine." I said.

Mercer didn't acknowledge, or even look at me, he kept eying in front of him. "Any second now…" he retorted.

I looked where he was looking and saw a giant infected tendril erupt from the ground, "Whoa! What the fuck is that!?" I asked.

"It's a Hydra, your next target. As before, I don't expect you to deal with it yourself, I'll help you. But soon enough, you're gonna be strong enough to deal with these things on your own. So, should we head down there?"

I stared at the Hydra, watching as it threw debris and cars at the military personnel engaging it. "What about the jar-heads attacking it?" I asked.

Mercer smiled, "Consider them a distraction for the Hydra, and a power boost for us. You're gonna have to consume non-infected people at some point, might as well start now. Actually, let's knock that out right now. Give me one second." Mercer shifted his arm into a long whip and launched it into the crowd of Blackwatch troops, grabbing one and reeling him back to us like a fish on a fishing pole.

Mercer kicked him in the back and threw him on the ground, "There you go, kill him." He coldly responded. The soldier was unconscious on the ground, and I looked at the soldier then at Mercer and then back at the soldier.

I grabbed the soldier and plunged my arm into his chest, his memories flooded my own, this soldier was Private Brian Prescott, I delved into his most recent memory, he was listening in on a couple of officers discuss a plan.

" _Lieutenant, are the D-Codes ready for deployment yet?"_

" _Yes, sir. They've already been given their orders too, their targets are ZEUS and THOR."_

" _Excellent! We need to stop them before they fuck up anymore of Blackwatch's plans, this is insa- Prescott! What the fuck are you doing away from your post?!"_

I snapped out of that soldier's memories, "Mercer! Something called D-Codes are on their way here!" I warned.

Mercer turned around, "Shit, consume them then! Forget the Hydra! We deal with these D-Codes!" he responded.

I heard a loud thud behind us, Mercer and I turned around and saw four gigantic soldiers behind us, "Red Crown! ZEUS and THOR spotted, engaging now!" one of them shouted into his radio.

I unleashed my claws, but Mercer put a hand on my shoulder, "Split up!" he ordered and took off, I jumped off the building. Two of the soldiers split from the group and chased after Mercer, the other two chased after me. I ran on the side of a building and glided to another building.

"THOR is mobile! Follow him! Omega Two-Two and Two-Four stay on ZEUS!" one of the soldiers said into his radio.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I panicked, I had to act fast and figure out a plan to deal with these soldiers. I had an idea, I booked it south towards an infected part of the city. My plan was to get one of them attacked by something there.

"Cut him off!" one of the soldiers barked. One of the super-soldiers jumped ahead and picked up a car, he hoisted it in the air, and then threw it at me. I jumped, put my foot on the bottom of it, and kicked it back at him. The super-soldier smacked the car aside like it was nothing more than a hunk of scrap. I kept on running, I ran towards an infected Hive, soon enough I had a trail of Hunters behind me. Luckily they went towards one of them, one of the Super Soldiers was cut into ribbons by a horde of them.

"Fuck! Red Crown, Omega Two-Three is down! I'm still on THOR's ass!" the soldier ordered.

I booked it out of the infected part of town and turned around to attack him, shifting my arms into claws. "Bring it on you fucking jar-head!" I shouted.

The soldier cracked his knuckles, "Show me what you got, THOR!"

* * *

 **Temple of the Moon, Darnassus, Azeroth**

"Shan'do Stormrage! I must speak with you!" Ravana demanded as she stormed into the Temple. As she ascended the staircase, she saw Malfurion sitting down and meditating. She stopped and kneeled, completely exhausted.

Malfurion stood up and slowly turned around, "What brings you to me, my student?" he asked.

Ravana stood up, "Forgive me for my intrusion, Shan'do, but I saw something when I did that ritual you instructed me to do that I do not understand."

Malfurion scratched his beard in thought, "Ah, what did you see? And did you tell anyone else about this before telling me?"

Ravana shook her head, "No, I did not."

"Then tell me, my student, what did you see?" Malfurion asked as he sat back down. But before Ravana told him, he looked to two other students that were there with him. "Leave us." Malfurion ordered to the other two.

Both students bowed and left the room without saying a word. "I-I saw a giant metal city, and there were these odd beings that lived in that city. And all of a sudden there was this flash of light and it was all in ruins. When the smoke cleared there were the-" Ravana was saying, but Malfurion interrupted her.

"This city, what was it like?"

Ravana took a deep breath, "The city had these gigantic metal skyscrapers, and the people that inhabited that world were more advanced than us."

"I see, continue." Malfurion replied as he nodded.

"When the smoke cleared there were these two men fighting, and one killed the other. But the one who survived shapeshifted into a different person."

"Who was the man who changed his form? Describe him."

* * *

 **Times Square, New York, United States, Earth**

 **September 22, 2016**

I ducked a blow from the D-Code and struck him in the chest with my fist. He shrugged the blow off and grabbed my arm as I tried to strike again, I was lifted into the air and slammed into the ground. I got back up and blocked his next attack and shifted my arms into claws, burying them in his throat and chest. I consumed the D-Code and got back up, exhausted from that fight. My phone went off, Alex Mercer was calling me.

"Mercer, I managed to lose one of them and I consumed the other." I said.

"Good, head back to where we found that Hydra, I'll be waiting for you." Mercer replied.

"Right, on my way there now." I hung up, and got back up. "Shit, if Blackwatch already knows I'm infected, then I gotta work fast." I said to myself.

I took off back towards Central Park, eager to see what new abilities the Hydra would give me.

(Gotta go back to work this week, but I'll try to work on this when I can. So stay tuned! Cause I'm just getting warmed up!)


	6. Chapter 6: An Ambitious Plan

**Wyrmrest Temple, Dragonblight, Azeroth**

Alexstrasza waited in the temple, she called Ysera here to meet with her in secret. Nozdormu and Kalecgos couldn't know of their plan, because she knew it would go against the Timeless One's desires. Ysera landed and changed to her humanoid form, "Greetings, sister, when will Nozdormu and Kalecgos be joining us?" asked Ysera.

"They will not be, Ysera. I called you here because I cannot wait for Nozdormu's plan. If he is unable to act, we must take it upon ourselves." Alexstrasza responded.

Ysera was taken aback, the Dragon Queen was suggesting defying the Timeless One, and using dangerous magic without Kalecgos around? "Life-Binder, can you not see what you are suggesting? What if we end up summoning something worse than the Burning Legion? And how do you plan on doing this without Nozdormu or Kalecgos?" Ysera questioned.

Alexstrasza didn't change her stance on the issue, she was determined to do this. "I will ask Tarecgosa and Soridormi for their help. I need your help too, sister. You are the only one I can trust, please, do not say anything to Nozdormu or Kalecgos. I beg you." The Life-Binder pleaded.

"I will keep this secret, Alexstrasza."

The two of them hugged, and Ysera changed back to her dragon form and flew away.

* * *

 **Times Square, New York, United States, Earth**

 **September 22, 2016**

Mercer and I stared at the Hydra, I was surprised that a virus could be responsible for creating such a monstrous creature. More importantly, how was I supposed to kill it?

Mercer broke the silence, "Ready?" he asked, cracking his knuckles.

I shook off my anxiety, "All right, let's kill this thing." I replied.

We leapt from the building, the Hydra turning towards us, "I'll get its attention, you take it out!" Mercer ordered.

I shifted my arms into claws, and lunged for the bottom of the Hydra.

* * *

 **Darnassus, Azeroth**

"He-he was not a Kaldorei. I do not know what he was, but he looked battered." Ravana described, doing her best to hide the fact that when she saw him in Hyjal, she felt something, something akin to love.

Malfurion scratched his beard in thought, "Battered?" he asked.

"Yes, Shan'do, like he had done nothing but fight. So after I saw him on that mysterious world, I then found myself on Hyjal."

"Mount Hyjal? Why were you there?"

Ravana took a deep breath, knowing what she was about to say could possibly cause panic, "We were being attacked." She responded.

Malfurion leaned forward in anticipation, "Attacked? By who?" he asked.

"The Burning Legion."

The shock of what Ravana said made Malfurion fall backward, the Legion? In Hyjal? If they were going to attack there, they'd be there for one reason and one reason only: Nordrassil, the World Tree. He had to know for certain, "The Burning Legion? Are you absolutely certain?" Malfurion demanded.

"There is no doubt, it was the Burning Legion."

"Any idea when they will attack?"

I have no idea." Ravana said, "I am sorry, I do not have more information, but I do not know when the Legion will attack." She continued.

Malfurion got up, "I will meditate and think on this, you have my word. In the mean time, head on home and be with your family, it will lift your spirits. Oh, and give Silas my regards." He quietly responded.

Ravana nodded, "I will tell Father you said hello. Should I share this with my family?"

"That is up to you, Thero'shan."

Ravana bowed and left the temple, contemplating who this man could possibly be and what role he'd play in the future.

* * *

 **Times Square, New York, United States, Earth**

 **September 22, 2016**

The Hydra swept the ground, trying to pry me off. I dodged the sweep, dug my claws into it, and leapt into the air, carving a nasty scar into it. The monstrous creature fell over, and I dived into its carcass. I fed on its biomass, and as I did, I felt myself getting a lot stronger.

The Hydra's corpse exploded and all the consumed biomass surged through me, and my right arm erupted into a long whip-like appendage with a good sized blade at the end of it. I flung it around and it extended in length, "Oh fuck yes! This thing can get rid of helicopters like nothing!" I exclaimed.

Mercer walked towards me and eyed my new ability, "Excellent, anything else you can do?" he asked.

I thought of having a large blade that could be capable of cutting even the heaviest armor, biomass surged through my arm and it shifted into a giant blade. I looked with excitement as it glistened in the sunlight. "Okay, this is badass." I responded.

Mercer patted me on the back, "Good work today, we'll hunt more tomorrow."

I waved as he took off, "See ya tomorrow, Mercer!"

Feeling rather good, I decided to head home.

* * *

 **The Next Day…**

I was dreaming again, although this time I found myself on that destroyed planet from last night again. I looked to my right and there was that same woman as before, except her skin color was a rich violet, and her hair a dark blue. She looked at me, her eyes a bright silver, and she said something to me. I couldn't hear what she said, but she pointed to that molten giant again. I heard a name, "Sargeras".

I didn't recognize the name, but hearing it filled me with a sense of fear. Worse than any other time I've been afraid in my entire life. I shot up, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to talk to someone about it. I reached for my phone, the clock on it saying 11:21 AM, and I dialed my best friend John.

It rang twice and he answered, "Hello?" he said.

"Hey, Johnny, it's me. Got a minute?" I asked.

"Sure, man. What's up?"

I brushed the sweat from my face, "I had a really bad nightmare. And it's not a coincidence, I've had it for two nights in a row."

"Tell me about it, what happened?"

I took a deep breath, "Okay it's in two parts, the first part I was on another planet. I was lying on the ground and I was approached by two women, one of them had a hood on so I couldn't see her. The other was this blonde lady, she helped me up and we exchanged words."

"What did you two talk about?" John asked.

"See that's the thing, I don't know. I couldn't hear us talking, but a gunshot rang out from behind us and I turned around to see a squad of Blackwatch soldiers!"

"What happened next?"

"Okay, I then found myself in space. I was there for a bit and then I-"

"I don't mean to interrupt, but what happened back on the first planet?"

My head hurt, but I ignored it, "I don't know! It just ended and I saw all these monsters on this other planet and I had to fight them!"

"It's certainly peculiar, some people think your dreams are a vision of the future. I'll give this some thought, but I need you to do this for me: get a journal and write down what you see while you sleep tonight. Let me know what it is. I gotta go now, Natalie and I are going for brunch."

I smiled, "Okay, thanks. Talk to you later."

I hung up and tossed my phone on the bed, "This has to just be a freak nightmare." I said to myself.

(I apologize for the week delay, between work and Legion, I've been slammed. But here it is!)


	7. Chapter 7: Operation Firehawk?

**My Apartment, New York, United States, Earth**

 **September 23, 2016**

I left my bedroom and headed for the bathroom intending on getting a shower. But when I left my bedroom I noticed Mercer found his way into my apartment. "Mercer?! The hell you doing in here? How'd you even get in?" I asked.

Mercer put down the newspaper, "I picked the lock. Look, something big is going down, and I couldn't risk Blackwatch listening in. So I found your place." He replied.

I shrugged, "So what's going on?"

"This is what's going on. Read it." Mercer said as he handed me a large file.

I took the dossier and sifted through it, there was information on troop movements, weapon shipments, command structure, and various military jargon. One stack of papers stood out to me, so I looked at it closer.

"Operation Firehawk?" I asked, confused.

"I pulled this from a secure server that only three people had access to. Whatever that file has, it was as secured as Firebreak was."

I scratched my head, "Remind me, what was Firebreak again?" I asked.

"It was a plan by Blackwatch to obliterate Manhattan with a nuclear weapon. Remember the news stories about a nuclear detonation off the coast? That was me, I put a stop to it." Mercer responded.

"So who am I looking for?" I asked.

Mercer dug through the file and pulled out a few sheets of paper, "Lieutenant Bryan Rooks, he's in charge of Base Charlie Two-Seven-Two. Find him and consume him, and for Christ's sakes, keep it fucking discreet."

I looked at the picture of Bryan Rooks, he was a short blonde haired man. Couldn't have been much older than me, which if that was the case, how was he already a Lieutenant? "Anything else I should know about him?" I asked.

"Supposedly his older brother, Douglas, is next in line to take command of Blackwatch. If we get a shot at taking him out, we'll take it."

I looked at Bryan's file again, his brother Douglas was mentioned, "Colonel? Damn, he's pretty high up." I retorted.

"Right, now get in and get out before they even know he's gone." Mercer ordered as he got up and left.

"Got it, I'll see you later today." I replied as he shut the door. "So Lieutenant and Colonel Rooks, huh? Whatever it'll take to get to the bottom of this Operation Firehawk." I said to myself.

I set out, determined to kill this Bryan Rooks.

* * *

 **Darnassus, Azeroth**

"He does not exist. He cannot exist. No person could have such abilities. And why would I fall in love with him?" Ravana asked herself. Having just seen the most confusing vision in her life, she just wanted to head home and forget all about it. "I need to clear my head of all this nonsense." Ravana continued as she walked home.

Alone at home, Ravana was glad. With her younger brother, Lorfing, training with their father, Silas, and her older sister, Arellah, out getting into trouble; she sat in a chair and grabbed a glass of Moonberry juice.

The door opened, "Oh, Mother, hello." Ravana said.

Daleera walked in and smiled, "Hello, Ravana, how was your day?"

"Exhausting."

* * *

 **Base Charlie Two-Seven-Two, New York, United States, Earth**

 **September 23, 2016**

I shifted into a Blackwatch soldier, and made my way into the perimeter. Giving the viral scanners a wide berth, as to not draw attention. _Okay, now to make my way inside._ I thought to myself.

The interior of the base was huge, as I looked around I saw entire platoons of Blackwatch soldiers, and United States Military soldiers standing at attention, jogging around, or just standing around shooting the breeze. I looked around as I made my way to the briefing room, if Lieutenant Rooks was somewhere, he'd be there. _Gotta get there. This is easier than I thought._ I thought to myself.

A drone flew around, I instantly recognized it. A mobile version of the stationary viral scanner. "Ah shit…" I muttered under my breath.

The drone looked at me, and the alarm went off. The base went into lockdown, and every soldier had their gun trained on me. I shapeshifted out of the disguise and opened fire with the M-16 that I stole from the poor sap I consumed. Bullets whizzed past me, but I kept firing.

"Red Crown! This is Lieutenant Rooks, THOR is here! I repeat, THOR is here! Base Two-Seven-Two has been compromised!" Bryan Rooks shouted over the intercom.

"Guess they know I'm here now!" I said to myself as I dropped my rifle. "Might as well fuck shit up then!" I continued. I carved my way through the Blackwatch soldiers and jumped through the window to Bryan Rooks's location. I grabbed him by the throat.

"You can't win, THOR! Firehawk can't be stopped!" Bryan defiantly replied as I choked the life out of him.

"I'll take that chance! Now, I need to know what you know!" I responded.

"My brother is next in line to command Blackwatch! You kill me, he'll throw everything we have until your sorry ass is fucking dead!"

"Then he's my next target!"

I plunged my fist into Bryan's chest and his memories flooded mine, I sifted through his most recent ones until I found the information on Operation Firehawk.

" _So, Colonel, sir, what exactly is Operation Firehawk?"_ Bryan responded in this memory.

" _Bryan, drop the courtesies, you're my brother! You don't need to pull that obedient soldier bullshit with me!"_ Douglas, his brother said.

" _Right, sorry. Anyways what's Operation Firehawk?"_

" _Simple, Uncle Sam won't give us another nuke, so we resort to thermobaric missiles this time!_

" _What about all the civilians, Doug?"_

" _What about them? Fuck 'em! They're a waste of oxygen anyways!"_

I snapped out of the memories, "Fuck! Gotta warn Mercer!" I said to myself as I busted through the wall of the base and darted out.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later…**

"Mercer! Thank goodness!" I said.

Alex landed in front of me, "I heard the explosions from here! I thought I told you to be discreet!"

"I got compromised by one of those UAV's! Then alarms went off and I was getting shot at!"

"Never mind, so any news on Firehawk?"

I scratched the back of my head, "Yeah, since Blackwatch isn't able to procure another nuke, they're gonna obliterate the city with Thermobaric missiles!"

Mercer looked at me in shock, "Go figure, any information on where they're gonna be?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. Sorry."

"Luckily I got that information covered!" Alex replied.

I sighed in relief, we would finally be able to stop the sons of bitches. "So where are they at?"

"Remember the USS Reagan? They're using that as the staging point. Ever sink an aircraft carrier?"

"Mercer, you can't be serious. If we do that, there'd be no turning back!"

Mercer smirked, "Then I hope you got an escape plan in mind."

(The job search is real! That's pretty much why I've been gone, but other than that, I will return and write as much as I can! Plus I want to get to Blacklight II! Anyways, enjoy!)


	8. Chapter 8: Storming the Reagan

**Manhattan, New York, United States, Earth**

 **September 23, 2016**

"You can't be serious, Mercer!? How the fuck are we supposed to blow up the Reagan?" I protested, if we actually went through with this, I would be running for the rest of my life.

"Like you said, there'd be no turning back. Anyways, time is wasting, and Blackwatch could start Operation Firehawk at any point. So we need to go now."

"Hang on, I gotta make a few calls first."

Mercer threw his arms in the air in frustration, "Fine, meet me by the docks when you're done." He replied as he booked it down the street.

I sighed, I was really about to do this. I pulled my phone out and decided to call two people I haven't talked to for a few weeks: My parents. I'd have to explain everything to them, but hopefully they'd listen. I decided to call my mother first, it rang twice and went straight to her voicemail. "Goddamnit." I said to myself as I hung up. So I tried calling my dad, and it just went straight to voicemail. "Figures, he probably doesn't even know he has it turned off, or he forgot to charge it." I said to myself. Fed up, I called John again, "Come on, man. Pick up the fucking phone." I muttered to myself.

"Dude, what the hell is going on over there?" John asked immediately as he answered, not even bothering to say hello.

"It's Blackwatch! They're trying to destroy Manhattan again!" I shouted.

"You're kidding, I heard shit on the news about you again, they're declaring you a traitor to the States! You're not really going to unleash the virus, are you?"

I buried my face in my hands, "No, of course not! I'm just trying to stop Blackwatch from killing us all, look, Mercer and I are about to stop their plan for good, maybe I can swing by Yale when it's over? I figured I could try to explain things to you in person."

"Sure thing, man! Look, I don't want the CIA coming after me so I'm gonna go now."

I sighed, "Okay, see you soon." I put my phone back in my pocket, why weren't my parents answering? It's not like them to ignore a call from me. I shoved the thought aside and darted off, determined to help Mercer stop this Operation Firehawk.

* * *

 **Darnassus, Azeroth**

"What do you mean exhausting?" Daleera asked her daughter.

"Nothing, just a long day today." Ravana replied, "Where is Father?" she continued.

"Still out training your brother, I swear your father is going to train him too hard."

Ravana laughed, her father, Silas, was always training her younger brother, Lorfing. Silas's dedication to the way of the Warrior was a bit overzealous at times, especially because he felt it was tradition to train his son, as Silas's father did with him, and his father before him. A walk outside, and Ravana watched as Silas knocked Lorfing to the ground with his shield.

"A shield, in the right hands, can be as effective as a blade. Now, get up, son." Silas said.

Lorfing dusted himself off and slowly got back up, "I think I broke a rib, or all of them." He turned around and saw Ravana standing there, laughing. "Sister, come to see me get beaten to a pulp?" he continued.

"Actually, I came to talk to Father." Ravana replied.

Silas turned around, "What about?"

* * *

 **Manhattan, New York, United States, Earth**

 **September 23, 2016**

I made it to the docks to see Mercer waiting with an Apache Attack Helicopter, it didn't take me long to figure out what his plan was. "So, we're using an attack helicopter to board the Reagan?" I asked.

"Yep, we just need it to get aboard. You know how to fly a chopper?" Mercer responded.

I shook my head, "Nope, sorry."

Mercer opened the co-pilot door and pulled out a Blackwatch pilot, "Kill him." He ordered, tossing the soldier onto the ground.

I stomped on the soldier's chest, a spray of blood showing that I caved in his rib cage, and I consumed him.

 _Welcome to the Marine Apache Helicopter Training Program, in the next thirteen months, you will learn every nook and cranny of this beautiful death machine! When you're done here, you'll be able to position this beast above an enemy position and blow them back to the fucking Stone Age!_

I snapped back into reality, "Okay, let's go!"

Mercer clapped his hands together, "Alright! Now get in the gunner seat!"

"Wait, then why did I kill that guy?"

Mercer stopped me in my tracks, "Don't get chicken-shit on me! You had to learn it! Besides, it's time to stop being a little wuss and realize that you gotta kill these sick sons of bitches!"

I threw my hands in the air, "Alright, let's just get this show on the road."

"Good." Mercer grimly replied.

I put on the helmet and firmly grabbed the joystick, already feeling familiar with flying, even though I've never done it before. Before long, we took off, "So, you never told me the plan, Mercer." I reminded.

"We're gonna inflict as much damage to the ship as possible, and if it comes down to it, we'll just jump out and finish them on the deck."

Alarms went off in the chopper, and I locked on to the soldiers and opened fire. Another helicopter filled our view and Mercer locked on to it with our air to air missiles, an explosion rocked our helicopter and the tail rotor blew out.

"Well that didn't last long…" I said.

"Jump out!" Mercer yelled.

We hit the deck, and soldiers had their guns trained on us, I switched to my blade and cut through them. Mercer pried a missile off a jet and tossed it at a group of soldiers, and I smashed through the command bridge. Helicopters started taking off, each one loaded with Thermobaric missiles. I jumped out the window of the command bridge and latched onto the side of one of the choppers, Mercer soon joined me in the passenger seat.

"Take us back a bit and let's sink this carrier!" Mercer demanded.

I took us out and I fired a few missiles at the aircraft carrier, hitting its engine, and the Reagan went up in a huge ball of fire. Soon enough, the aircraft carrier started taking on water, and sinking. Mercer and I cheered, "Okay, how many choppers made it in the air?" I asked.

"Three! We dealt them a huge blow, now let's finish them off!" Mercer replied as he opened the helicopter door, "I'll go after one, you get the other two!" he continued.

I took the helicopter north towards where two of the choppers went, "No going back now!" I said to myself.

A few minutes passed and I saw them up ahead, the pilots already firing thermobaric missiles, each one destroying a building and killing countless people in the streets below. I locked on to one of the choppers and fired the machine guns, alarms went off in my helicopter and I scrambled to find the button for the countermeasures, only for the missile to completely destroy the back half of my helicopter. I jumped out, grabbed the chopper with my Whipfist, and boarded the helicopter.

The second chopper turned towards me and I fired one of the thermobaric missiles, destroying it in an enormous explosion, the force from the explosion threw my helicopter into a spiral and I dived out. I hit the ground running, and I scrambled for my cell phone. "Mercer! Those choppers are down! What's the status on your end?" I asked.

One of the Blackwatch radios I had on me crackled to life, "Red Crown, ZEUS and THOR have destroyed all the Firehawk choppers. The operation is a failure, I repeat, the operation is a failure. Over."

"You hear that?" Mercer asked, "We did it! Meet me back at your apartment!" he continued.

I hung up, I had no words for what Mercer and I just did, we just destroyed the USS Reagan. We stood in the way of our country's military and killed hundreds, if not thousands, to stop them from killing millions. Like my best friend Johnny said to me; they're gonna come after us. I had to put together a plan to get out of the United States. I took off towards my apartment, putting a plan in my head as I ran.


	9. Chapter 9: Time to GTFO

**My Apartment, New York City, United States, Earth**

 **September 23, 2016**

It was over, I almost couldn't believe it. Mercer and I succeeded in stopping Blackwatch, but what was I to do now? Leave my entire life that I had in the States behind? Still no response from my family, and I couldn't put my best friend in danger. But I had to bail, Samantha was deployed to Japan, maybe I could stay there for a while.

It was awhile before I got back to my apartment, only to see Mercer waiting for me when I got there, I skid to a halt and stopped in front of him. Mercer had this sadistic grin on his face, almost as if he was enjoying the slaughter. "We've dealt them a crippling blow, but now we gotta bail." Mercer said.

"I figured, so where are you gonna head?" I asked.

Mercer smirked, "I was thinking of going to Europe, always wanted to go there. What about you?"

"My girlfriend is in the Marines, and she's stationed in Tokyo, Japan. So I was gonna go there and see her."

"Well, I hope you got a way out, Blackwatch has all bridges in the city under complete lockdown."

"Oh, before you go." Mercer muttered as he dug through one of his jacket pockets, "I wanted to give you this before you left, you deserve it more than I do." He continued as he pulled out a cell phone.

I grabbed it and I looked it over in my hand, "A cell phone?" I asked.

"Not just any cell phone, it's a BLACKNET phone, standard issue for every Blackwatch soldier. I've taken the liberty of wiping it and disabling the tracking chip; that phone is one hundred percent untraceable. Not to mention it's solar powered, and waterproof. I figured you'd get a use out of it."

I felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude, Mercer gave me a means to stay in touch with my family and friends. "I-I don't know what to say…" I muttered.

Mercer put his hand on my shoulder, "I couldn't have done this without you. Now, unless you have anything else to say, I think we need to go our separate ways."

"Right, I guess I'll see you later." I responded.

Mercer took off, leaving me alone. I had one thing to do before I ditched the United States for good: visit my best friend and tell him everything. I pulled out my new phone and dialed his number.

It rang twice, but before Johnny could respond, I cut him off, "Johnny, it's me. I got a new phone, and it's supposedly untraceable." I said.

"Brandon? Holy shit, that's awesome! So, I heard you stopped Blackwatch. Does that mean you're about to haul ass outta the States?" he asked.

"Yeah, just about, but I figured I could swing by and see you in person."

"Okay, well Natalie and I got the day off from classes, so we could probably go grab a drink and you can tell us everything!"

I smiled, "Okay, I'll be there in a few hours."

I hung up and stood outside my apartment for a few minutes, how was I supposed to get out of the city? It was under complete lockdown, after all. Maybe if I swam? Or I could climb under the bridge? "Just gotta get out first, then I'll worry about what to do next." I said to myself. I walked into my apartment, hoping to grab a few things before I left.

* * *

 **Darnassus, Azeroth**

"How is his training going?" Ravana asked, changing her mind on telling her family about what she saw.

"That is going well, although I cannot say the same about Lorfing." Silas replied, chuckling as he said it.

Lorfing dusted his armor off, "You got lucky that time, Father."

"You keep saying that, yet I keep knocking you flat on your ass."

"Okay, that is enough for today. Give your son a rest, beloved." Daleera spoke up.

Silas turned towards Lorfing, "Looks like your mother saved your hide today, son."

"So, I am sorry I was late. I had to meet with Shan'do Malfurion." Ravana responded.

"Oh, what did he talk about?" Silas asked.

"J-Just the same Druidic knowledge, I have to return there tomorrow."

Arellah walked in the door, "Sister, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

Ravana's heart started to race, did her older sister know the truth? She got up without saying a word, hoping that Arellah didn't spill the truth to the rest of the family.

* * *

 **New Haven, Connecticut, United States, Earth**

 **September 23, 2016**

I arrived in New Haven several hours later, despite climbing underneath the bridge to escape the lockdown. I made my way towards Yale Medical School where my best friend was attending, donning the disguise of a consumed civilian to not draw attention. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed John's phone number. "Hey, I'm at the school. Where are you?" I asked.

"Here already? Damn, anyways, I'm leaving the library now. I'll meet you outside." John replied.

I made my way to the library after asking a couple students where it was, Yale was huge. It was just unfortunate that John got a scholarship to Yale; whereas I got one to NYU. A few minutes passed and I saw my best friend walk out of the library door, I ran towards him and got his attention. "Johnny! How's it going?" I asked.

"Do I know you?" he responded.

I buried my face in the palm of my hand, "Right, I forgot." I shapeshifted back to my normal look.

"Holy shit dude! Don't scare me like that! How the hell did you do that?"

I laughed, "Blame Mercer, but I got out of that hellhole! How's it going, dude?"

John and I started walking, "Classes are a pain in the ass, but it's going fine. Look, I got something to discuss with you." Johnny replied.

"What about?"

John sighed, "You're not gonna unleash that virus, are you?"

"No! Of course not! Look, I may have this crazy fucking virus coursing through my veins now, but I'm still human god damn it!"

John sighed in relief, "Glad to hear that, I really am. Anyways, now that we got that out of the way, we got a lotta catching up to do. Natalie and I were gonna go to dinner if you wanted to tag along, she'd be happy to see you again."

My face lit up, "Alright, sure! It'd be good to get out with friends again!"

Johnny and I set out, and I felt better than I have in the past few months.

(Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Anyways, same delays as before. I'm almost done with the first part, and I was doing something different for part 2. For those of you who read the original versions, you'll know where it's going. Anyways, I'm out! See ya!)


	10. Chapter 10: The Long Road Ahead

**Yale Medical School, New Haven, Connecticut, United States, Earth**

 **September 23, 2016**

My best friend, John, his girlfriend, Natalie, and I left the campus and got in his car. "So, I heard you escaped from Manhattan." Natalie said.

"Yeah, I did." I responded.

"Do they know you escaped?"

"No, probably not. That's why I can't stay long."

John smiled, "Well that's not something we're gonna worry about! You're here with us now, dude! And we're back! Just like old times!" He replied.

I was relieved to be out of Manhattan, my plan was to spend the day with my best friend and then head out of the United States for good. What my plan was for after that, I had no idea. But I would worry about that later. For now, I was going to kick back, relax, and hang out with my friends.

"So, Johnny, any idea for what we're doing?" I asked.

"Well, I figured I'd just order take-out and we'd crash at my apartment, play video games, and maybe bust open the liquor cabinet." Johnny said. "It's a special occasion, after all!" He continued.

I pulled out my new cell phone, and my old cell phone. Deciding to make the switch to the new, untraceable one, I pried open both phones and swapped the SIM cards. The BLACKNET phone rebooted, and I opened my contacts list, being happy to see all my original contacts there. I sent a text message to Samantha Taylor, my girlfriend.

 _Hey, I made it out of Manhattan, gonna crash with Johnny for the night and then I'll head out to Tokyo first thing tomorrow. Buying the tickets as I speak._

As I finished typing that message, I went online to buy tickets for a one-way trip to Tokyo. The three of us drove to Johnny's apartment.

* * *

 **Darnassus, Azeroth**

"What is this about, sister?" Ravana asked, hiding her anxiety.

Arellah crossed her arms, "You have been on edge since you came home, what happened?"

"I-I cannot talk about it, Shan'do Stormrage said not to tell anyone."

"Why not?"

Ravana sighed, Malfurion didn't tell her to not tell anyone, it's just who'd believe her? She sees some bizarre man with grotesque shapeshifting abilities, on a distant world, and he helps her and everyone else fight the Legion? It made no sense!

"His orders, sister. I am sorry." Ravana replied, walking away.

Arellah found herself alone outside the house, "She is hiding something, I will figure out what it is." She said to herself.

* * *

 **New Haven, Connecticut, United States, Earth**

 **September 23, 2016**

"Well, I bought the tickets." I said.

"So, you're serious about this?" John asked.

I nodded, "Yep, but we can still stay in touch. I'll just hope Blackwatch forgets about me."

"What about Mercer?"

I froze, I wasn't sure about Mercer. What is he going to do?

John caught on to my silence, "You don't know, do you?" he asked.

I shook my head, "No, I don't."

"Well, regardless, I'll stay in touch as much as I can. Classes, and all that. Can you call me when you arrive in Tokyo?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

John hugged me, "Sucks you gotta leave tonight, man! But Natalie and I will do our best to throw them off your trail."

"Thanks, I'll call Samantha when I land. Maybe she's got a place I can stay. Anyways, thanks for the help. I'll be sure to not cause trouble while I'm there." I replied.

We said our goodbyes and I left, I jumped over the fence and darted towards the airport.

* * *

 **Hartford, Connecticut, United States, Earth**

 **September 24, 2016**

I arrived at the airport in the early hours of the morning, running all the way from New Haven to Hartford was no easy feat, but I did it anyways. I skulked around the airport looking for an unsuspecting victim so I could hijack his ticket and get out. I found my target, a man talking on his phone. I overheard him mention he was going to Tokyo on his phone. So, I snapped his neck and consumed him.

I assumed the shape of the man, he was an Executive at IBM named Mark Jefferson, he was on the phone with his seven-year-old daughter, I picked up his phone. "Sorry, honey, I dropped my phone. I'll call you when I arrive. Can you put your mom back on the phone?" I asked.

"Okay, dad! I love you!" she replied.

I regretted what I did, but I had to do it. "Well, good luck on your business trip, honey!" the woman replied.

"I'll be back before you know it, I love you." I responded.

I hung up, leaving myself to ponder what I just did. More peculiarly, this Mark Jefferson liked to dabble in art, and he had this bizarre obsession with dark rooms, and photography. But I went to the terminal and loaded "my" luggage on the conveyor belt. Just another forty-five minutes until I'm out of the States for good.

* * *

 **Thirteen Hours Later…**

 **Tokyo, Japan, Earth**

 **September 24, 2016**

I woke up to the sound of the pilot on the intercom. I grabbed my suitcase, and walked out of the airplane. _Ugh, finally…_ I thought to myself. I made a quick stop in the bathroom to stretch, and more importantly, get out of my disguise. Wearing the face of someone else for extended periods of time was extremely taxing for me, both mentally and physically. I changed back to my normal self, and stretched my arms. "Now to call Samantha, then Johnny." I said to myself.

I left the bathroom and walked towards the front of the airport, hoping nobody in Japan would recognize me. Luckily, I didn't run into any trouble. But, I didn't know if that would be the case forever.

I got outside the airport and pulled my phone out, dialing my girlfriend's number. "Hey, Samantha! It's me!" I said.

"Okay, good, you're here. Brandon, honey, there's no easy to say this." Samantha replied.

She sounded serious, "What are you saying?" I asked.

"I can't associate myself with you anymore, I'm close to making Captain. And I must put my career ahead of everything else, I'm sorry. If the military discovers that I still talk to you, it could ruin me. They could execute me for collaborating with a criminal."

I was shocked, "But you didn't help me! Can't I just see you one last time?"

"I'm sorry, but this is the last call I'm making to you, Brandon. Despite your infection, I still love you. I'm sorry."

Samantha hung up, leaving me speechless. I snapped out of my stupor and called John, "Johnny, I need to talk to you now." I said.

"Whoa, what happened?" he asked.

"Samantha dumped me! She said I'm a threat to her military career!"

"No fucking way! Why would she think that?"

"I don't know, but I gotta figure this shit out."

John sighed, "Alright, keep me informed. I gotta get to class."

I hung up, my whole plan was torn to shreds. The one reason I came to Tokyo of all places was to see my girlfriend! Now she's going on about how I'm a threat! And she dumped me! "God damnit!" I said aloud, I was so focused on my frustration that I didn't even hear the convoy of Humvees behind me.

Japanese soldiers filed out of the vehicles, all of them pointing their guns at me. "Shit…" I said to myself. I put my phone back in my pocket, and put my hands in the air.

"Shepard-san! We have you surrounded!" The officer shouted in a megaphone.

The soldiers slowly walked towards me with their rifles pointed at me. I felt two blows to the back of my head and I blacked out.

* * *

 **Somewhere in Space...**

I was dreaming again, I knew that much, because I was in space. As I floated through the void, I saw a bright light in the distance. The light came closer, and I saw it was a floating crystalline being. It was sentient, whatever it was. "Who are you? What are you?" I asked.

"Do not be afraid, I come in peace, Child of Anathema." The being reverberated in a feminine voice.

"Child of Anathe-what?" I responded back in confusion.

"Yes, you are needed, I know you have been experiencing visions. And I am here to help you understand them."

I was shocked, "Wait what? What are you anyways?"

The creature kept floating, "My name is X'era, a Naaru."

"So, what are these dreams about?" I asked.

"They are the future, your future. You are not ready yet, but you must understand; everything that happens in your future is going to happen for a reason." X'era replied.

"What's gonna happen?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, the future is as obscured to me as it is to you. But it is imperative that you succeed. Fail, and all worlds, including your own, will burn."

I couldn't comprehend what this Naaru was telling me, "Burn? What are you talking about?"

X'era started to float away, "My time is short, you are our only hope against the Legion." It responded.

"Wait! The Legion? What are you talking about?" I pleaded, reaching my hand into the darkness. But it was too late, the Naaru was gone.

* * *

 **Undisclosed Japanese Military Base, Japan**

 **September 24, 2016**

I woke up after that vision was over, cuffed to a chair in a military base. Two soldiers were guarding the room I was in, I looked up to them, "Hey, where am I?" I asked them. No response.

The doors opened, and a Japanese military officer entered, the two soldiers bowed in response.

"Shepard-san, I am Admiral Yoshi Tanikaze, why are you in Japan?" the admiral demanded.

"Escaping." I replied.

The Admiral stared at me, leaving me wondering if I was truly going to be a military prisoner.

(Well that completes part one! I feel like it was kind of a cheesy ending, but maybe that's just me. Anyways, I'm working on part 2 right now. It's gonna be much different, but I'm doing it that way because I kinda wanted to pair these two universes together. Anyways later!)


	11. Announcement

Hey everyone, just wanted to say the following: New story up, in case any of you are still interested in the series.

s/12338310/1/Blacklight-II-Japan-In-The-Crosshairs


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